Ernie Els - Official PGA TOUR Profile Ernie Els Ernie Els personal notes BACK Started playing golf at age 9. An accomplished junior tennis player, he won the Eastern Transvall Junior Championships at age 13. Turned full attention to golf at age 14 after also playing cricket, soccer and rugby. Heavily involved in junior golf of South Africa and Cancer Society of South Africa. Hosts Ernie Els Invitational in South Africa to raise money for charity. Ernie Els Foundation formed in early 1999, with the purpose of providing full support to disadvantaged children. Proceeds from the...

Golfer Ernie Els Biography and Career Details Ernie Els Awards and Honors: • Member, World Golf Hall of Fame • European Tour Order of Merit winner, 2003, 2004 • European Tour scoring average leader 2003, 2004 • Member, Presidents Cup International team, 1996, 1998, 2000, 2003 (tie), 2007, 2009, 2011, 2013 Ernie Els Biography: "Big Easy" is Ernie Els' nickname, and it's a great nickname because it describes so many things about him: he's tall; his manner on and off the course is very low-key and easygoing; his golf swing is fluid and appears effortless, yet produces great power. continue reading below our video What Size Bike Should I Buy? Els grew up in South Africa playing rugby, cricket, tennis and golf. At age 13, he won a major tennis tournament, the Eastern Transvaal Junior Championships.

But at 14 he made it to scratch as a golfer, and decided to focus on golf. That year he won the Junior World Championship golf tournament in San Diego, Calif., beating Phil Mickelson by several strokes. Els turned pro in 1989 and won his first pro tournament in 1991. In 1992, he won the South African Open, South African PGA and South African Masters tournaments, something Gary Player had previously done. In 1993, Els got his first win on the European Tour, and in 1994 his first on the U.S. PGA Tour . And that was a big one: the 1994 U.S. Open , which Els claimed by winning a 3-man playoff that lasted 20 holes. Els has enjoyed great success splitting his time between the US and European tours, while also playing in South Africa, Asia and other places around the world. He's won four majors with numerous other close calls. Among the other big tournaments Els has won is the World Match Play Championship . In 1994-96, Els became the first golfer to win the event three straight years.

He did it again in 2002-04, becoming the first 6-time champion in that event's illustrious history. In 2004, Els led the European Tour in money while finishing second on the US PGA Tour's money list. Els tore ligaments in his left knee in 2005, and the injury kept him out of golf, and then off form, for quite a while. But in late 2006 he won the South African Open, then late in 2007 he won the World Match Play Championship for the seventh time. When Els won the Honda Classic in early 2008, it was his first victory on the USPGA Tour since 2004. He won twice more in 2010. And late in 2010, by vote on the PGA Tour Ballot, Els was elected to join the World Golf Hall of Fame . Becoming a Hall of Famer didn't mean Els' winning ways were over, though.

Despite slumping in 2011 and the early parts of 2012 - Els didn't even qualify to play the 2012 Masters - he won his fourth major at the 2012 British Open. Off the course, Els' business interests include golf course design and a winery. He also is involved with two foundations. One, Ernie Els & Fancourt Foundation, supports junior golf in South Africa. The other is Els For Autism, which raises awareness about and raises money for research into autism. Ernie Els - Sports biography Ernie Els Category : Sports Last modified : 2012-01-17 Theodore Ernest "Ernie" Els is a South African professional golfer, who has been one of the top professional players in the world since the mid-1990s. A former World No. 1, he is known as "The Big Easy" due to his imposing physical stature (he stands 1.91 metres [6 feet, 3 inches]) along with his fluid, seemingly effortless golf swing. Among his numerous victories are three major championships: the U.S.

Open in 1994 at the Oakmont Country Club and 1997 at the Congressional Country Club, and The Open Championship in 2002 at Muirfield. Other highlights in Els' career include topping the 2003 and 2004 European Tour Order of Merit (money list), and winning the World Match Play Championship a record seven times. He was the leading career money winner on the European Tour until overtaken by Lee Westwood in 2011, and was the first member of the tour to earn over 25 million Euros from European Tour events. He has held the number one spot in the Official World Golf Rankings and holds the record for weeks ranked in the top ten with over 780. Els was elected to the World Golf Hall of Fame in 2010, on his first time on the ballot, and was inducted in May 2011. Els is represented by International Sports Management. When not playing, he has a golf course design business, a charitable foundation which supports golf among underprivileged youngsters in South Africa, and a highly-regarded wine-making business.

Els has written a popular golf instructional column in Golf Digest magazine for several years. Els grew up in South Africa playing rugby, cricket, tennis and golf. At age 13, he won a major tennis tournament, the Eastern Transvaal Junior Championships. But at 14 he made it to scratch as a golfer, and decided to focus on golf. That year he won the Junior World Championship golf tournament in San Diego, Calif., beating Phil Mickelson by several strokes. Els turned pro in 1992, and that year won the South African Open, South African PGA and South African Masters tournaments, something Gary Player had previously done. In 1993, Els got his first win on the European Tour, and in 1994 his first on the U.S. PGA Tour. And that was a big one: the 1994 U.S. Open, which Els claimed by winning a 3-man playoff that lasted 20 holes. Els has enjoyed great success splitting his time between the US and European tours, while also playing in South Africa, Asia and other places around the world. He's won three majors with numerous other close calls.

Among the other big tournaments Els has won is the World Match Play Championships. In 1994-96, Els became the first golfer to win the event three straight years. He did it again in 2002-04, becoming the first 6-time champion in that event's illustrious history. In 2004, Els led the European Tour in money while finishing second on the US PGA Tour's money list. Els tore ligaments in his left knee in 2005, and the injury kept him out of golf, and then off form, for quite a while. But in late 2006 he won the South African Open, then late in 2007 he won the World Match Play Championship for the seventh time. When Els won the Honda Classic in early 2008, it was his first victory on the USPGA Tour since 2004. He won twice more in 2010. And late in 2010, by vote on the PGA Tour Ballot, Els was elected to join the World Golf Hall of Fame. View the full website biography of Ernie Els .

Golf: The paradox that is Gary Player | The Independent Golf: The paradox that is Gary Player THE OPEN: South African legend back at scene of controversial victory. Tim Glover reports Monday 15 July 1996 23:02 BST Click to follow The Independent Online When Gary Player won the Open Championship at Royal Lytham in 1974 he did so by a handsome margin but amid ugly rumours. That's the thing about Player. No shades of grey, just black or white. Either he is the greatest golfer and one of the finest sportsmen to emerge from South Africa or he is a diminutive, holier than thou, self-opinionated pain in the neck. "There's only one thing I don't like about my job," Player once said. "In golf there is tremendous jealousy. I find that just unbelievable. I heard a pro say 'If Arnold Palmer died I wouldn't spit on his grave'." As one of the Big Three, along with Palmer and Jack Nicklaus, Player has not escaped the sniping. The allegation of Lytham '74 is that the ball he played at the penultimate hole in the final round was not the one he had hit into the rough.

"There are certain things that are possible and certain things that are impossible," Player said. "First of all they had the TV cameras on during the whole incident. For anybody to say that Rabbit [his caddie Rabbit Dyer] dropped a ball is dreaming. I would put my life on the fact that he wouldn't do something like that. It's impossible. The grass was so thick." Player was six strokes ahead. In his book To Be The Best, he said: "As we walked towards the green I wondered whether we would ever find the ball. The first thing I did was to ask an official to put the watch on me to observe the five-minute rule. I was in full view of the cameras. Imagine winning the Open and then somebody claiming I'd gone seven seconds over my allotted time. It is a unique aspect of golf that anybody anywhere who spots a rules infringement during play can report it and have official action taken. It was a frantic search in which I even got down on my hands and knees looking for the ball. I asked everybody around me to join in the hunt but it still seemed like a hopeless task. There was barely a minute of time left when a marshal found the ball." Player escaped with a bogey five.

There are stories, surely apocryphal, that his original ball was subsequently found in the rough and that it is now sitting in a safe. At the final hole he hit his approach through the green and his ball finished against the wall of the clubhouse. It was decided the building was an integral part of the course and he was not entitled to a free drop. He played left-handed with the back of his putter, put the ball 10 feet short of the hole, took two putts and won by four strokes. It was his third and last victory in the Open although his outstanding career was still dogged by controversy. In a skins game in Arizona in 1983 Tom Watson accused him of cheating by moving a growing leaf from behind his ball. "I was staggered," Player wrote later. "Breaking the rules is, after all, the most heinous charge to be laid against any golfer. When it is aimed at a champion the repercussions can be monumental. It was a truly sorry affair in which the accusation was not made until I had left the course and the game was over. The correct procedure would have been to raise the matter at the time. I was astonished that Tom did not adopt the correct procedure.

I think what he did to me that day will haunt him for the rest of his life." Whether taking on Player on the course or off it you had better be prepared for an almighty scrap. The South African pointed out that Watson had won two majors, the Masters and the Open in 1977, using clubs that did not conform. "I would hate to have won major championships knowing I had used illegally grooved clubs," Player said. He now describes his relationship with Watson as "very polite". What was never in doubt was Player's fierce competitiveness. "His accomplishments in golf and life rival the achievements of any person who has ever played the game," Palmer said. "The obstacles that he overcame in the formative years of his career are what made his great success so remarkable and admirable." Player was born in Johannesburg in 1935, the son of a gold miner. His mother died when he was eight. He began his pro career by giving lessons at a dollar a time on a driving range. "I had to give my boss 50 cents and I kept 50. That's how I saved money to go overseas." Player was a pocket-sized pioneer who was fortified by his belief in God.

A fitness fanatic, he also worshipped the gymnasium. The Little Big Man in black became the first foreign-born winner of the Masters; the first non-American to top the money list on the US Tour; the first and only player to win the Open in three different decades and one of only four men to achieve the Grand Slam. And he did it against the odds. Flying from South Africa would mean a 90-hour round trip. And he muscled in on the Big Two, Palmer and Nicklaus, to make it the Big Three, winning nine majors and more than 150 events throughout the world. And sometimes he did it with the protection of armed police as civil rights activists in America made him a target for anti-apartheid protests. On the subject of apartheid, Player has seen the light. "I went on record in 1965 avowing, 'I am of the South Africa of Verwoerd and apartheid'. My views began to change, particularly as I travelled around the world. The injustice was so obvious and the implications quite chilling. I am now quite convinced that I have played a significant role in trying to eradicate apartheid.

It was a terrible system." If there is one man who is compared with Player as the next great white hunter from South Africa it is Ernie Els. But while Player is a clean liver (no drinking, no smoking) with the cleanest of livers, Els likes nothing better than to share a few beers with his caddie. Where it is valid to mention Player and Els in the same breath is in wondering whether the tall one can win as many majors. "Like Gary says, can we compare wallets?" Els said. "In a way it's nice but I don't want to hear it. We're totally different people with totally different attitudes. Gary always had to work his way around and fight it out. I try to enjoy the game at least. I've been lucky. I think our generation is going to be OK. All the doors are open now." At the age of 60, Player, who made another fortune on the US Seniors Tour and who has developed extensive business interests, is back at Royal Lytham. In 1974 he generally used a one-iron off the tee. Now he will probably use a Black Knight titanium driver which is made by one of his companies.

Despite the self-discipline and the punishing daily routine of exercises, the long player has set himself a deadline. He will play his last tournament in the Open at St Andrews in the year 2000. More about: Ernie Els Net Worth | Celebrity Net Worth Ernie Els Net Worth Ernie Els net worth: $75 Million Ernie Els net worth: Ernie Els is a South African professional golfer who has a net worth of $75 million. Ernie Els has accumulated his net worth through his years as a professional golfer and the many world tours, as well as his wins in the U.S. Open and the Open Championship. Born Theodore Ernest "Ernie" Els on October 17, 1969, in Johannesburg, South Africa, he is a former World #1 golf player with 65 professional wins behind. Even though Els proved to be incredible tennis player as a child, he decided to focus all of his sport efforts on golf at the age of 14. In 1984, he saw his first major triumph as a winner of the Junior World Golf Championship for kids aged 13 and 14.

It was in 1989, when he embarked on a professional golf career and since, he achieved many victories including four major championships: the US Open (two times in 1994 and 1997) and The Open Championship (again twice in 2002 and 2012). Apart from being one of the six golfers who have won twice both the U.S. Open and The Open Championship, he also topped the 2003 and 2004 European Tour Order of Merit (money list), and turned out a winner at the World Match Play Championship a record 7 times. This led to be elected to the World Golf Hall of Fame in 2010, where he got inducted in May 2011. Over the years, he has also earned the nickname "The Big Easy," thanks to his imposing physical stature (he stands 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)) along with his fluid golf swing. When he is not on the golf course, Els is involved in running a golf course design business and a highly-regarded winery, as well as a charitable foundation which supports golf among underprivileged youngsters in South Africa.

Oct 17, 1969 (47 years old) Nationality 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) Weight 14 prize money wins in the 2014 PGA season $1,353,423 3 prize money wins in the 2014 European Tour season $101,630 14 prize money wins in the 2013 PGA season $1,173,761 6 prize money wins in the 2013 European Tour season $743,090 19 prize money wins in the 2012 PGA season $3,453,118 5 prize money wins in the 2012 European Tour season $845,023 16 prize money wins in the 2011 PGA season $948,873 8 prize money wins in the 2011 European Tour season $502,858 17 prize money wins in the 2010 PGA season $4,558,861 6 prize money wins in the 2

010 European Tour season $326,471 16 prize money wins in the 2009 PGA season $2,147,157 9 prize money wins in the 2009 European Tour season $903,233 11 prize money wins in the 2008 PGA season $2,537,290 6 prize money wins in the 2008 European Tour season $461,825 15 prize money wins in the 2007 PGA season $2,705,715 11 prize money wins in the 2007 European Tour season $2,171,114 18 prize money wins in the 2006 PGA season $2,326,220 8 prize money wins in the 2006 European Tour season $1,119,186 11 prize money wins in the 2005 PGA season $1,627,184 8 prize money wins in the 2005 European Tour season $1,16

1,493 15 prize money wins in the 2004 PGA season $5,787,225 9 prize money wins in the 2004 European Tour season $1,857,288 17 prize money wins in the 2003 PGA season $3,371,237 9 prize money wins in the 2003 European Tour season $2,478,671 17 prize money wins in the 2002 PGA season $3,291,895 8 prize money wins in the 2002 European Tour season $580,750 15 prize money wins in the 2001 PGA season $2,336,457 5 prize money wins in the 2001 European Tour season $604,760 22 prize money wins in the 2000 PGA season $3,704,185 4 prize money wins in the 2000 European Tour season $452,720 16 prize money wins in

 the 1999 PGA season $1,710,756 6 prize money wins in the 1999 European Tour season $363,643 12 prize money wins in the 1998 PGA season $763,783 15 prize money wins in the 1997 PGA season $1,243,008 17 prize money wins in the 1996 PGA season $906,946 14 prize money wins in the 1995 PGA season $842,590 11 prize money wins in the 1994 PGA season $697,356 3 prize money wins in the 1993 PGA season $89,262 3 prize money wins in the 1992 PGA season $78,563 1 prize money wins in the 1991 PGA season $2,647 The 60 Best Ernie Els Photos | Golf.com © 2014 Ti Golf Holdings Inc.

All Rights Reserved. The 60 Best Ernie Els Photos Celebrate golf's Ernie Els 45th birthday with these 60 photos of the Big Easy throughout his Hall of Fame career, with cameos from Adam Scott, Cindy Crawford and a young Phil Mickelson [above]. Happy Birthday, Ernie! Next Ernie Els (right) winning the 1984 World Junior Golf Championship at Torrey Pines. He beat Phil Mickelson. Ernie Els walks with model Cindy Crawford during a promotional event following the third round of the Omega European Masters on September 6, 2003 at Crans sur Sierre Golf Club in Crans Montana, Switzerland. Ernie Els portrait for the 50th anniversary issue of Golf Magazine, March 2009. Tiger Woods and Ernie Els during their legendary singles match at the 2003 Presidents Cup in South Africa. Jack Nicklaus and Gary Player agreed to a tie after Woods and Els played sudden-death holes into darkness. Ernie Els after winning the 2012 British Open Championship at Royal Lytham & St. Annes Golf Club.

Ernie Els and President Nelson Mandela of South Africa share a laugh in February 196 as Mandela shows a sketching of Els to the crowd before the final round of the Alfred Dunhill South African PGA Championship at Houghton Golf Club, Johannesburg, South Africa. Ernie Els with his son Ben during the Els for Autism Pro-Am on the Champions Course at the PGA National Golf Club on March 15, 2010, in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla. Ernie Els hits a shot during the quarter final round of Accenture Match Play Championships at Ritz - Carlton Golf Club at Dove Mountain on February 28, 2009 in Marana, Ariz. Ernie Els is congratulated by host Arnold Palmer after winning the rain delayed Arnold Palmer Invitational golf tournament in Orlando on March 29, 2010. Ernie Els at the past champions dinner before the 139th Open Championship on the Old Course, St Andrews on July 13, 2010 in St Andrews, Scotland. Ernie Els during the 1989 British Open held at Royal Troon.

Ernie Els with Byron Nelson after Els won the Byron Nelson tournament in 1995. Young Ernie Els just after starting golf in South Africa. Ernie Els walks with his caddie on 9th fairway during the 2009 British Open at Turnberry. Ernie Els drives in the rain during third round at the 2002 British Open at Muirfield, generally considered the worst weather major day ever. Ernie Els' clubs at Northern Trust Open at the Riviera Country Club February 18, 2009 in Pacific Palisades, Calif. Ernie says his lion headcover is from Africa and more legitimate than John Daly's lion headcover. Ernie Els tosses his hat after winning the 2002 British Open in sudden death at Muirfield. Ernie Els checks his putter during second-round play in the Tour Championship golf tournament at East Lake Golf Club in Atlanta, Friday, Sept. 24, 2010. New Open Champion Ernie Els hugs his good friend and runner-up Adam Scott after winning the 141st Open Championship at Royal Lytham & St.

Annes Golf Club on July 22, 2012 in Lytham St Annes, England. Ernie Els at the 2009 U.S. Open at Bethpage Black. Ernie Els shares a joke with Ian Poulter during the third round of the 2009 HSBC Champions in Shanghai. Ernie Els waits to plays his second shot into the second green during the second round of the Alfred Dunhill Championship at Leopard Creek Country Club on December 11, 2008, in Malelane, South Africa. Ernie Els with his longtime rival Tiger Woods at Doral in 2009. Ernie Els looks longingly at Phil Mickelson's trophy after Mickelson held off a resurgent Els in a thrilling finale to win both the WGC-HSBC Champions in Shanghai in 2009. Ernie Els partners with his father Neels Els during the second round of the Alfred Dunhill Golf Championship at St Andrews in Scotland, on Oct. 2, 2009.

International team players and good friends Ernie Els and Adam Scott line up a putt on the third hole of their foursomes match against Hunter Mahan and Sean O'Hair at golf's Presidents Cup at Harding Park Golf Course Thursday, Oct. 8, 2009, in San Francisco. Ernie Els with wife Liezl after winning at Doral in 2010. Ernie Els tees off on 8th hole at the WGC event at Doral in 2010. Els won the tournament. Ernie Els at the 2010 U.S. Open at Pebble Beach. David Duval and Ernie Els stretch out on the first tee during the second day of the 2002 Masters Tournament from the Augusta National Golf Club, Augusta, Ga. Ernie Els tees off on the 10th hole during the 1994 U.S. Open held at the Oakmont Golf Club, Els' first major win. Ernie Els puts on sunscreen as he waits to tee off with Greg Norman at Hazeltine National Golf Club in Chaska Minn., on Wednesday, Aug.

14, 2002, during practice for the PGA Championship. Ernie Els holds his child Samantha along with his wife Liezl after the Pro-Am of the 2000 Alfred Dunhill Cup on the Old Course at St. Andrews, Scotland. Vijay Singh smiles with Ernie Els on the 4th hole during the third day of the HSBC World Match Play Championship at Wentworth Golf Course on Oct. 18, 2003. Colin Montgomerie and Ernie Els in the flight deck of the private Boeing 737 jet being used as transport for the Johnnie Walker Super Tour before setting off on the final leg to Bangkok from Manila in November 1996. Ernie Els and Greg Norman stop to pose atop a Harley Davidson motorcycle as they arrive at the course for the final day of the Johnnie Walker Classic golf tournament, Jan. 28, 1996, in Singapore. Ernie Els and John Daly on the first tee at St. Andrews Old Course, Sunday, July 23, 1995, during the final day of play in the Open Golf Championship.

Ernie Els with Yum Yum, a 4-year-old female Thai elephant during the launch of the 2007 Johnnie Walker Classic on the beach at the Sheraton Grande Laguna Phuket Hotel, Feb. 27, 2007 in Phuket, Thailand. Ernie Els relaxes in a chair while waiting to tee off at the fifteenth green in the third round of the Buick Classic in Harrison, N.Y. Saturday, June 21, 1997. Ernie Els on the 18th green Sunday at the 2012 Open Championship at Royal Lytham & St. Annes. Ernie Els at the 2007 Presidents Cup at Canada's Royal Montreal Golf Club. Rory McIlroy shares a joke with Ernie Els during the second round of the BMW PGA Championship on the West Course at Wentworth on May 25, 2012 in Virginia Water, England. Ernie Els on the ninth hole at the 2010 U.S. Open at Pebble Beach.

Michelle Wie and Ernie Els during their practice round at the 2004 Sony Open at Waialae Country Club in Honolulu. Ernie Els tees off on the sixth hole during the final round at the Deutsche Bank SAP Open at St Leon-Rot Golf Club on May 23, 2004, in Heidelberg, Germany. Longtime adversaries Ernie Els and Tiger Woods at the 200 Mercedes Championship. Woods considers Els one of his greatest rivals. Ernie Els stands on the 13th green with his caddie, Ricci Roberts, after having trouble getting to the green by hitting into the woods on the hole during the final round of the 2002 Masters. Ernie Els walks down the green during the 1994 U. S. Open at the Oakmont Golf Club in Pennsylvania. Eighteen years separate Els first major win at Oakmont and his most recent major win at Royal Lytham & St. Annes. Ernie Els lifts his daughter Samantha after winning the Heineken Classic with a score of 17-under-par at the Royal Melbourne Golf Club, Melbourne, Australia, in February 2002.

Ernie Els driving at the 1995 PGA Championship at Riviera Country Club in Los Angeles. Ernie Els leads a donkey carrying golf clubs, and wearing at tournament sign at the Johnnie Walker Classic in Thailand in December 1994. Ernie Els at the 1996 PGA Championship at Valhalla Golf Club in Kentucky. Tiger Woods, Ernie Els, Sergio Garcia and Phil Mickelson at the 2003 Battle of the Bridges at The Bridges in Rancho Santa Fe, Calif. Ernie Els hits a ball embedded in a bush during the 2004 British Open at Royal Troon. Retief Goosen is congratulated by fellow South African Ernie Els after Goosen won the 2004 U.S. Open at Shinnecock Hills Golf Club in Southampton, N.Y. Ernie Els at the 1995 U.S. Open at Shinnecock Hills. Two South African legends: Gary Player and Ernie Els at 2007 Presidents Cup at Royal Montreal GC.

Ernie Els tees off during the 1992 British Open held at the Muirfield Golf Club in Scotland. Ernie Els poses with the claret Jug in the locker room following his victory at the end of the final round of the 141st Open Championship at Royal Lytham & St. Annes Golf Club on July 22, 2012 in Lytham St Annes, England. Ernie Els kisses his future wife, Liezl Wehmeyer, after winning the 1997 U.S. Open Sunday, June 15, 1997, at the Congressional Country Club in Bethesda, Md. Previous Ernie Els - 必应 Sign in Ernie Els Theodore Ernest "Ernie" Els (/ˈɛls/; born 17 October 1969) is a South African professional golfer. A former World No. 1, he is known as "The Big Easy" due to his imposing physical stature (he stands 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)) along with his fluid golf swing. Among his 67 career victories are four major championships: the U.S.

Open in 1994 at Oakmont and in 1997 at Congressional, and The Open Championship in 2002 at Muirfield and in 2012 at Royal Lytham & St Annes. He is one of six golfers to twice win both the U.S. Open and The Open Championship. ... (展开) Other highlights in Els' career include topping the 2003 and 2004 European Tour Order of Merit (money list), and winning the World Match Play Championship a record seven times. He was the leading career money winner on the European Tour until overtaken by Lee Westwood in 2011, and was the first member of the tour to earn over 25 million Euros from European Tour events. He has held the number one spot in the Official World Golf Ranking and until 2013 held the record for weeks ranked in the top ten with 788. Els rose to 15th in the world rankings after winning the 2012 Open Championship.

He was elected to the World Golf Hall of Fame in 2010, on his first time on the ballot, and was inducted in May 2011. When not playing, Els has a golf course design business, a charitable foundation which supports golf among underprivileged youngsters in South Africa, and a highly regarded wine-making business. He has written a popular golf instructional column in Golf Digest magazine for several years. Ernie Els Background and family Growing up just east of Johannesburg in Kempton Park, South Africa, he played rugby union, cricket, tennis, and, starting at age 8, golf. He was a skilled junior tennis player and won the Eastern Transvaal Junior Championships at age 13. Els first learned the game of golf from his father Neels, a trucking executive, at the Kempton Park Country Club. He was soon playing better than his father (and his older brother, Dirk), and by the age of 14 he was a scratch handicap. It was around this time that he decided to focus exclusively on golf. Els first achieved prominence in 1984, when he won the Junior World Golf Championship in the Boys 13–14 category.

Phil Mickelson was second to Els that year. Els won the South African Amateur Championship a few months after his 17th birthday, becoming the youngest-ever winner of that event, breaking the record which had been held by Gary Player. Els married his wife Liezl in 1998 in Cape Town and they have two children, Samantha and Ben. In 2008 after Els started to display an "Autism Speaks" logo on his golf bag it was announced that their then five-year-old son was autistic. Their main residence is at the Wentworth Estate near Wentworth Golf Club in the south of England. However, they also split time between South Africa and their family home in Jupiter, Florida, in order to get better treatment for Ben's autism. 1989–1996: Early years and first major win In 1989, Els won the South African Amateur Stroke Play Championship and turned professional the same year. Els won his first professional tournament in 1991 on the Southern Africa Tour (today the Sunshine Tour). He won the Sunshine Tour Order of Merit in the 1991/92 and 1994/95 seasons.

In 1993, Els won his first tournament outside of South Africa at the Dunlop Phoenix in Japan. In 1994 Els won his first major championship at the U.S. Open. Els was tied with Colin Montgomerie and Loren Roberts after 72 holes and they went to an 18-hole playoff the next day. In spite of starting the playoff bogey-triple bogey, Els was able to match Roberts' score of 74. Els birdied the second hole of sudden death to win his first U.S. Open title. Els brought his game all around the world in his young career winning the Dubai Desert Classic on the European Tour, and the Toyota World Match Play Championship defeating once again Colin Montgomerie 4 & 2. The following year, Els defended his World Match Play Championship, defeating Steve Elkington 3 & 1. Els won the GTE Byron Nelson Classic in the United States then headed back home to South Africa and won twice more. In 1996, Els won his third straight World Match Play Championship at Wentworth, defeating Vijay Singh in the final 3 & 2.

No player in history had ever managed to win three successive titles in the one-on-one tournament. Els finished the year with a win at his home tournament at the South African Open. 1997–2002: Career years and multi-major championships 1997 was a career year for Els first winning his second U.S. Open (once again over Colin Montgomerie) this time at Congressional Country Club, making him the first foreign player since Alex Smith (1906, 1910) to win the U.S. Open twice. He defended his Buick Classic title and added the Johnnie Walker Classic to his list of victories. Els nearly won the World Match Play Championship for a fourth consecutive year, but lost to Vijay Singh in the final. 1998 and 1999 continued to be successful years for Els with 4 wins on both the PGA and European tours. 2000 started in historic fashion for Els being given a special honour by the Board of Directors of the European Tour awarding him with honorary life membership of the European Tour because of his two U.S. Opens and three World Match Play titles.

2000 was the year of runner ups for Els; with three runner up finishes in the Majors (Masters, U.S. Open and The Open Championship) and seven second-place finishes in tournaments worldwide. Els had a disappointing 2001 season, failing to win a US PGA tour event for the first time since 1994 although he ended the year with nine second-place finishes. 2002 was arguably Els's best year which started with a win at the Heineken Classic at the Royal Melbourne Golf Club. Then went to America and outplayed World Number one Tiger Woods to lift the Genuity Championship title. The premier moment of the season was surely his Open Championship triumph in very tough conditions at Muirfield. Els overcame a four-man playoff to take home the famous Claret Jug trophy for the first time, also quieting his critics about his mental toughness. The South African also won his fourth World Match Play title, along with his third Nedbank Challenge in the last four years dominating a world class field winning by 8 shots. 2003–2005: The Big Five 2003 gave Els his first European Tour Order of Merit.

Although playing fewer events than his competitors Els won four times and had three runner ups. He also performed well in the United States with back to back victories at the Mercedes Championship - where he set the all time PGA Tour 72 hole record for most strokes under par at 31 under - and Sony Open and achieved top 20 spots in all four majors including a fifth-place finish at the U.S Open and sixth-place finishes at both the Masters and PGA Championship. To top off the season Els won the World Match Play title for a record-tying fifth time. In 2003 he was voted 37th on the SABC3's Great South Africans. 2004: Success amidst disappointment[edit] 2004 was another successful year as Els won 6 times on both tours including big wins at Memorial, WGC-American Express Championship and his sixth World Match Play Championship, a new record. His success did not stop there. Els showed remarkable consistency in the Majors but lost to Phil Mickelson in the Masters when Mickelson birdied the 18th for the title, finished ninth in the U.S.

Open after playing in the final group with friend and fellow countryman Retief Goosen and surprisingly lost in a playoff in the Open to the then unknown Todd Hamilton. Els had a 14-foot (4.3 m) putt for birdie on the final hole of regulation for the Open at Royal Troon, but he missed the putt and lost in the playoff. Els ended the major season with a fourth-place finish in the PGA Championship, where a three putt on the 72nd hole would cost him a place in the playoff. In total, Els had 16 top-10 finishes, a second European Order of Merit title in succession and a second-place finish on the United States money list. 2004 was the start of the "Big Five Era", which is used in describing the era in golf where Tiger Woods, Vijay Singh, Ernie Els, Retief Goosen and Phil Mickelson dominated the game of golf. The five switched up and down the top five positions in the World Golf Ranking; most notably Vijay Singh's derailment of Tiger Woods as the best golfer in the world.

The five stayed, for the most part, in the top five spots from 2004 until the start of 2007. Nine majors were won between them, many fighting against each other head to head. In July 2005, Els injured his left knee while sailing with his family in the Mediterranean. Despite missing several months of the 2005 season due to the injury, Els won the second event on his return, the Dunhill Championship. Internationalisation of golf Unlike most of his contemporaries, Els is known for his willingness to participate in tournaments all around the world, having played regularly in European Tour-sanctioned events in Asia, Australasia, and his native country of South Africa. He says that his globe-trotting schedule is in recognition of the global nature of golf. This has caused some friction with the PGA Tour, an organisation that would prefer Els to play more tournaments in the United States. In late 2004, Tim Finchem, the director of the PGA Tour, wrote quite a firm letter to Els asking him to do so, but Els publicised and rejected this request.

The PGA Tour's attitude caused considerable offence in the golfing world outside of North America. Foundation The Ernie Els and Fancourt Foundation was established in 1999. It has the objective of identifying youths who show talent and potential in the game of golf from under-privileged backgrounds. It provides educational assistance amongst other moral and financial help in order for these youths to reach their full potential. The first Friendship Cup was played in 2006 which is a match play competition, played in a Ryder Cup type format. In the cup, Els's foundation plays against the foundation of Tiger Woods. Els's foundation won 12.5 points to 3.5 points. Els has also participated several times in the Gary Player Invitational series of charity golf events, to assist Player raise significant funds for underprivileged children around the world. Ernie Els References ^ "PGA Tour Media Guide – Ernie Els". PGA Tour. Retrieved 23 December 2013. ^ "Players who have reached the Top Ten in the Official World Golf Ranking since 1986". European Tour Official Guide 09 (PDF) (38th ed.). PGA European Tour. 2009.

p.558. Retrieved 16 January 2009. ^ "Week 11 – Ernie Els Wins WGC-CA Championship To Jump To World Number Eight While The Puerto Rico Open Goes to a Monday Finish". Official World Golf Ranking. 15 March 2010. Retrieved 23 July 2012. ^ "2011 Hall of Fame class: Els, Ford, Bush, Hutchison". PGA Tour. 22 September 2010. Retrieved 23 December 2013. ^ "Ernie Els speaks out over son's autism". The Daily Telegraph. 11 March 2008. ^ "PGA, Els Family Tee Up to Raise Awareness". Autism Speaks, e-Speaks. 2 May 2008. Retrieved 23 July 2012. ^ Dorman, Larry (21 June 1994). "Forget Finesse, Remember a Name: Els Wins Open". The New York Times. Retrieved 22 July 2012. ^ Kelley, Brent. "Volvo World Match Play Championship". About.com.

Retrieved 23 December 2013. ^ "Els has 3-year plan to catch Woods as world's No. 1". Sports Illustrated/CNN. Reuters. 20 December 2006. Retrieved 23 December 2013. ^ "Els gets first win in two years". ESPN. Associated Press. 14 March 2010. Retrieved 20 March 2010. ^ "Ernie Els completes Arnold Palmer Invitational victory". BBC Sport. 29 March 2010. Archived from the original on 1 April 2010. Retrieved 29 March 2010. ^ "Ernie Els, Phil Mickelson can't grasp U.S. Open win with Tiger Woods struggling at Pebble Beach". Daily News (New York). 21 June 2010. Retrieved 21 June 2010. ^ "Ernie Els comes out on top in South African Open". BBC Sport. 19 December 2010. Archived from the original on 22 December 2010.

Retrieved 19 December 2010. ^ "Ernie Els – Advanced Statistics". Golfrankingstats.com. Retrieved 22 July 2012. ^ DiMeglio, Steve (23 July 2012). "Shocking finish: Ernie Els rallies to win British Open". USA Today. Retrieved 23 July 2012. ^ "Ernie Els wins British Open after late Scott collapse". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 23 July 2012. Retrieved 23 July 2012. ^ "Ernie Els rallies to win Open". ESPN. 24 July 2012. Retrieved 29 March 2013. ^ "Ernie Els returns to winning ways". PGA European Tour. 23 June 2013. Retrieved 25 June 2013. ^ "Seeing the Bigger Picture". Ernie Els. 12 May 2014. Retrieved 15 May 2014. ^ "Durrat Al Bahrain".

Archived from the original on 29 August 2009. ^ "Liezl Els Committed to Autism Awareness". PGA Tour Charities. 11 March 2010. Archived from the original on 14 March 2010. Retrieved 16 March 2010. ^ Apfelbaum, Jim, ed. (2007). The Gigantic Book of Golf Quotations. Skyhorse Publishing. ISBN978-1-60239-014-0. ^ "Els seeks to help autism research after disclosing son has disorder". ESPN. Associated Press. 8 March 2008. Retrieved 14 June 2013. ^ "Kimberley Golf Club History". Kimberley Golf Club. Retrieved 20 June 2014.

Question: What's the nationality of golfers Ernie Els and Gary Player?
Answer: South African